Peru enlists Obama help

Peru's Government has formally asked United States President Barack Obama to assist Peruvian efforts to get Yale University to return thousands of artefacts taken from the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.

In a letter to Obama, President Alan Garcia said it was "just and necessary" for Obama to intervene on Peru's behalf, so the South American nation could recover its cultural heritage.

The Peruvian Government and Yale are at odds over possession of the artefacts, including funeral shrouds, bones, textiles and ceramics.

Peru demands their return, while Yale hopes to negotiate a settlement over the artefacts, which were removed about a century ago.